But the razor has done its work and football goes on. And so continues the interesting storyline of that Husker offensive line -- which returns little starting experience (just 16 games combined) but plenty of optimism about what they believe they can be.
At the center of it all is Mark Pelini, a senior with a high football IQ and, yes, a rocking beard. Splitting reps at center with junior Ryne Reeves, Pelini is one of the leaders of that O-line, a good opinion to hear when talking about that new-look unit.
You might remember Pelini was called into his first significant action as a Husker in a tense moment in 2012, when Justin Jackson went down with a season-ending injury in the Iowa game.
So he understands well what it was like last year for players like Mike Moudy, Ryne Reeves, Zach Sterup and Givens Price, who were called on in a pinch as the Husker O-line piled up injuries.
It wasn't an ideal situation then, but could that be a blessing in disguise going forward?
"You never want any of your teammates, any of your buddies, to get hurt, especially with how close we are on the O-line," Pelini said. "But if you're going to look at it glass half-full, I guess you could see it as that."
